(22 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oslo, Norway – 22 May 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Foreign Minister of Norway:
"So this is both to say that we will recognize Palestine as a state, which has been long in the making, and that the moment is right. But that the context in which we do that is support for this regional comprehensive peace, peace vision."
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Foreign Minister of Norway:
"This is something a country does once. It’s a card that you can play once. And we have for years been pondering on what is the right moment. We always wanted to establish a Palestinian state. That’s why we, for more than three decades, have been leading and still chair this donor committee for we have realized that recognition should come as an impetus, as a strengthening of a process."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Foreign Minister of Norway:
"We need a cease-fire. And in Gaza, we need a strengthening Palestinian state. We need normalization with Arab states. We need to, you know, to build the Palestinian authorities. We need mobilization of Hamas. All these are different pieces of a puzzle. But this is one of the pieces that we have, and we chose to play it now. And we, have good reason to believe that other European countries will follow in, in the coming weeks."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Foreign Minister of Norway:
"Norway is the friend of Israel. We plan to remain being friends of Israel, as we have been since we were one of the first countries to recognize Israel when it was first established, and a very strong part of our motivation is to drive towards something that will create security and peace for the people of Israel and Palestine. We agree on that goal."
++BLACK FRAMES++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Foreign Minister of Norway:
"And again, I want to draw the attention to the series of meetings in Brussels, with the Palestinians, with the Arabs, with the Europeans, exactly. Trying to create that context, because many countries, when we’ve been reaching out to, to like minded countries all around Europe and the world, some countries have said, we’ll do this right away. Others have said we need to do it in the right setting. And then historically, it’s like we’ve been all sitting, you know, by the river, hoping that the setting would just, you know, pass by but what we’re trying to do now is to create that context, create that setting. And these meetings that we’re holding now, is part of that."
++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on Wednesday that "the moment is right" to recognise the Palestinian state.
"This is something a country does once," Eide said. "It’s a card that you can play once. And we have for years been pondering on what is the right moment. We always wanted to establish a Palestinian state. That’s why we, for more than three decades, have been leading and still chair this donor committee for we have realized that recognition should come as an impetus, as a strengthening of a process."
Earlier on Wednesday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that the country would formally recognize a Palestinian state.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed Norway’s recognition of a Palestinian state and called on other countries to follow.
Gahr Støre said the Scandinavian country would recognize a Palestinian state as of May 28.
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